No, my creativity is not Affected by lack of lenses. Iâve missed some good exposures like that day when i was trying to compose a scene, but my 55-200mm lens is âzoomâ. I walked back, but there was a very high fence and I could not capture the scene as I wanted.
And again, no. Iâm not AFFECTED by the Gear Aquisition Syndrome (GAS). I read about this and do not identify with this syndrome. The reason I want to buy two new lenses is because I want a macro lens that works for photography and one for landscape. The 55-200mm works for landscape, but as I said, is a zoom lens and I have to get away from the scene and sometimes thatâs a problem. The reason I want a macro lens is because I have no lens that works for this type of photography.
Here I show you a picture that I found landscape. At least with the 55-200mm lens that I have, I could not achieve this kind of effect, and I would like to take pictures like this.
Thanks for that Link, I would check it out. I would consider renting lenses, but where? Online? Is there somewhere where I can rent this online? Because in my country ( Puerto Rico ) there is none. I already did that research in the past.
The example you have seem to be taken with lens within your 18-55 lens. Also, some very clever post-processing seem to have been done (probably HDR) to get the final effect as the tonal range looks very wide.
Do you take photographs in raw format or do you depend on the camera to give you the final picture? I do not think any camera/lens can give the picture you have presented as an example.
Here is an example of one of my photos (and, without false modesty, I can say that I am no expert photographer) taken on FUJI XQ1 compact camera (your equipment is much better than it) which is post-processed in GIMP
Here is another example of close-up photo taken on Canon 1100D with 18-55 âkitâ lens and post-processed in Rawtherapee (again, your combo is much better than this):
I really think that your two lenses (18-55 and 55-200) cover almost all the range required for landscape photography. If you do not shoot raw and post-process your photos, I feel that you will never get the picture of your example. No matter what lens you use.
I think that @shreedhar had a somewhat too negative approach when he warned you about becoming infected by the Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). Oh, it is true, it is possible to become infected. However, some suffer from the infection while others simply enjoy it.
May I suggest a small, tiny, not-too-expensive acquisiton to your Nikon D3300?
An acquisition that will greatly improve your macro possibilities: a set of extension tubes!
[quote=âClaes, post:11, topic:2191â]
An acquisition that will greatly improve your macro possibilities: a set of extension tubes!
[/quote]I totally second that. A diopter like the Raynox DCR250 would be another alternative. Both will allow you to do some macro work with your existing lenses. Whatâs even better should you buy a dedicated macro lens later you can still use them together for even more magnification.
Regarding landscapes, Iâd say (ultra) wide angle lenses are really good fun. Stitching panoramas can be an alternative but I find it quite a lot more work and it can be quite tricky if there is foreground because of the parallax. I do like zooms for landscape work because of the more flexible framing but on a budget an ultra wide angle prime is probably your best bet. Given that your Camera has a crop sized sensor youâll want something really wide. Probably a 10mm at the wide end. Maybe have a look at the samyang 10mm/2.8. Another thing youâll probably want is a tripod. It allows you to do long exposures, hdrs (such as the image you posted) and work in low light.
Thank you for this information. I checked if that site ships to Puerto Rico and they do. I will try this before buying a lens. The only thing that I donât like is the high Shipping and Handling to Puerto Rico. About $20.
I do shot in RAW.
Thanks! This sounds good and inexpensive. I will give it a try. Any suggestions for the type of âextension tubesâ I should get? How this works? Attaching the tubes in the camera and then putting on one of my lenses?
Wait⌠a what? Ultra Wide Angle? I did a search on https://www.lensrentals.com and https://www.dxomark.com , and Iâve not seen that âultraâ option. Iâve seen âwide angleâ and âsuper wideâ, but not âultraâ.
I do have a tripod. I bought my tripod at Best Buy a month after I got my camera. Is a Manfrotto - 60" Compact Action Tripod. ( http://www.bestbuy.com/site/manfrotto-60-compact-action-tripod-black/4854011.p?id=1219103680660&skuId=4854011 ) I got it for $120. Itâs only $79.99 on their web site, but they donât ship to Puerto Rico. So you have to buy it in their store at a High price. I went today looking for a new wireless desktop mouse, but the price was too high. So I walked out the store. I need a new mouse that works on LinuxâŚ
Here are some photographs that I took with my pair of lenses. I shoot the first two pictures with my 55-200 mm and the last two pictures with my 18-55 mm. This pictures were post edited in Adobe Lightroom. Recently I moved fully to Linux Mint so now Iâm practicing with Darktable.
So, what do you think guys? Should I need a âultraâ wide lens for landscape or should I stick with my 55-200 mm ? Iâm looking forward that tube extension for Macro Photography.
Looks like youâve got it covered. I donât think youâll get a much better lens than you already have given your budget. Iâd look at extension tubes and save the money so you can step up in lens quality with your next purchase.
Close-up lenses and extension tubes have the same drawback, they make your camera (and you) short-sighted: the focus range goes for instance from 40cm->infinite to 20->50cm. No a problem for still photo on a tripod, but when chasing insects this makes you a bit blind. A 2nd-hand 60mm (or better, 100mm) macro lens isnât that expensive (you donât need the stabilized versions).
I was answering to the question about getting a wide-angle lens to supplement a tele for landscapes when the poster already has a 18-55mm that can be quite useful in that area (I have a 10-20mm in my bag, and itâs mostly used indoorsâŚ)
This said, some of the pictures above are more in the outdoor category that in the âlandscapeâ one, and some show that a tele lens sort of densifies the haze⌠(OK, this is a case where âzoom with your feetâ is not very practical, either)
@Psyfurius For completeness sake, since no one as yet has mentioned it, let me also mention another tiny but important acquisition.
Good quality filters for your lenses (I think both of your lenses will take 52mm size filters). The Circular Polarizer and Neutral Density and Graduated Neutral Density filters will take your pictures to a different level. The example you have given might very well have been shot with one or more of these filters screwed on top of the lens.
[quote=âshreedhar, post:21, topic:2191â]
Good quality filters for your lenses (I think both of your lenses will take 52mm size filters). The Circular Polarizer and Neutral Density and Graduated Neutral Density filters will take your pictures to a different level. The example you have given might very well have been shot with one or more of these filters screwed on top of the lens.
[/quote]I own both polarizers and a ND but I hardly ever use them. The polarizer I just didnât find to many uses for in practice (looked very artificial to me), and in cases Iâd use the ND I just stop down and then stack a few exposures.
Results in less noise & no weird color shifts. It doesnât work for everything but it covers most of my needs.
[quote=âPsyfurius, post:14, topic:2191â]
So, what do you think guys? Should I need a âultraâ wide lens for landscape or should I stick with my 55-200 mm ?
[/quote]You definitely donât need it but I think you might enjoy it. Really nice photos!
I think the general case behind all of this is that very little gear is needed to take great photos. With a bit of creativity and effort a lot can be accomplished with basic tools. There are a lot of nice options around but youâll have to find your own set of tools you enjoy using.
I donât mind if they are auto focus or not. I can focus manually, doesnât bother me. So which should I get? Or do you guys have other recommendations on extension tubes?